Tea For Two
by Jana Girl123
Summary: "My Great-Great Uncle Iroh always said that there was nothing tea couldn't cure." Iroh offers a cup of tea and a listening ear.


**A/N I own nothing, all characters belong to Nickelodeon (even if they have no idea what to do with them)**

**A/N I wasn't happy with the way they handled the romantic aspects of LOK at all. It was rushed and they made Mako out to be quite the jerk. I wanted him to stay with Asami for about half of it, but when it became clear Borra was out decided they deserved each other. Really unhappy with the pairings the writers went with. But Iroh looks like a good candidate for Asami, here's to hoping they get shipped.**

* * *

Growing up privileged and living with all the fancy clothes or brand new toys a little girl could ever ask for, everyone seemed to assume that the only daughter of Hiroshi Sato had skin as soft as it looked.

The fact that she had lost her mother when she was just a girl fell on deaf ears. People closed their eyes to avoid witnessing the tragedy of her life and view only the pros.

That was one of the things she had liked about Mako. He was from the streets but he didn't judge her for being a child of wealth. The same went for Bolin and even Korra. There was never any judgment with her wealth, simply on how she acted. It was one of the things that had drawn her into Mako.

Of course the fact that he was devilishly handsome as well as a pro-bender didn't hurt either. Mako was the kind of boy fathers warned their daughters about. He was smooth, attractive, and could get any female he desired into bed with him.

She should have known he was trouble.

There were hints all along. Little glances at each other, little smirks. Little signs, but prominent ones. Bigger ones like that kiss her supposed boyfriend has shared with Korra.

Ironically enough, after her date with Bolin.

Oh yes, there were many signs. But Asami had tried to shrug them off. After all Mako had said there was nothing between him and the girl from the Southern Water Tribe.

She was a fool for believing him.

Her eyes prickled with tears, but Asami refused to let them fall. She hadn't shed a tear since her Mother died. Not when Daddy turned out to be a puppet of Amon. Not when she had given up everything and joined Korra's team.

The daughter of Hiroshima Sato wasn't going to shed one damn tear for Mako.

Sitting alone in this room couldn't have been good for her. Everyone else was out celebrating on Airbender Island, so why was she alone in her room sulking? She had contributed just as much as the rest of them.

Taking a deep breath Asami stood in front of the mirror in her room. Absently brushing back a luscious lock of raven waves behind her ear, she ran a thumb under her eye to remove it of smudged make-up before flashing a convincing smile. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle in the low light of the room.

_Mako likes blue eyes better. _

The thought had slipped into her mind before she could stop it. Uncertainly, Asami glanced back at the mirror. Men had lusted her since she had turned twelve. They leered over her breasts, her hourglass figure, her legs; any part of her body that could be viewed was seen as an object to conquer. As she progressed into adulthood, she had slowly begun to cover up more and more until her entire body was hidden.

But heavy threads couldn't hide a figure like Asami's no matter how hard she tried. And of course she couldn't hide her face. Bright green eyes, light skin, wavy ebony hair that fell past her shoulders. Was she really as pretty as everyone had always said?

She couldn't help but mentally picture Korra with her large blue eyes and deeply tanned skin. Korra dressed as a tomboy, but she had curves. Muscular curves, but still. Not to mention a rack that all men seemed to stare at. Spirits, why couldn't she be more tan? More beautiful?

More like the girl Mako wanted.

"A wise man once said that staring at your own beauty for too long will turn your insides ugly."

Asami jumped and whirled around to see a tall man in his early twenties standing in her doorway with his arms crossed. He had a thick eyebrow raised as he stared at her.

"Thanks for knocking." She frowned, staring at him. It took a moment for her to identify the man as General Iroh.

"My apologies." An awkward pause. "If it makes you feel any better I wouldn't have came in if I thought you were changing."

It was Asami's turn to raise an eyebrow. Iroh coughed and took a sudden interest in the ground. "...That came out wrong."

Her lips twitched into a slight smile, but it quickly formed back into a tight frown. "Why are you here?"

"Everyone is out in the courtyard celebrating. I didn't see you there and thought something might be wrong." The young man confessed. He looked at her awkwardly. "So...are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I mean it's not like I have anything left anymore." She didn't mean to say it and regretted it instantly. Why did she talk?

Iroh stared at her for a long time. "Come on. You know what's going to make you feel better?"

"If I stop feeling sorry for myself?"

"Close. Tea."

* * *

"My Great-Great Uncle Iroh always said that there was nothing tea couldn't cure."

Asami smiled, holding up her small cup to the steaming kettle Iroh was pouring for her. "He sounds like a very happy man."

"He was, among other things." Iroh agreed, "My namesake being one of them. Is your tea warm enough?"

"Yes, thank you."

For a few moments there was silence save the waves lightly cashing against the sand. The two had quietly retreated to the beach away from the festivities of the others and were now sitting on a hill overlooking the ocean.

The beautiful brunette took a sip of the tea in her hands, reveling in its warmth and taste. "Mm, this is amazing."

Iroh's lips twitched into a smile. "Family recipe. I don't make it as well as my Great-Great Uncle, but no one does."

"It's still the best tea I've ever had. The last time I had some was at this awful little restaurant I went to with Mako and it was completely-..."

She suddenly stopped talking as an unexpected pain hit her deep in the gut. Sure the tea had been bitter, but the date itself was so sweet. Mako had brought her a bouquet of flowers before taking her out to what he promised to be a fun night on the town. They had zipped around on her Vespa and shared kisses under the moon, the sense of deepening emotions filling the air.

Apparently not.

Iroh studied her face. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"It's...stupid." Asami began, "Not to mention cliché."

"Some of the saddest stories are."

His words struck a chord in her heart. The sudden urge to share her burden became too much to handle. "Mako left me for Korra, okay?"

"I...I'm so sorry, Ms. Sato." Iroh stammered, "...You two were together?"

"Yes! I know, I know; it was crazy to think we could ever work out. I mean he was the poor street kid, I'm the rich princess! He's a bender, I'm not! Korra's beautiful, I'm-..." Her voice fell as she hung her head. "Well, let's just say I'm nothing special."

Iroh was by all accounts a brave man, but he found his courage often abandoned him around women. Still, he managed to say, "Many men would beg to differ.''

"But they're not Mako!'' Asami cried, her feelings over the past few days beginning to overflow. "How could I be so stupid? I knew there was more to them but I still stayed. I saw them look at each other and could feel it in my gut but I ignored it! Spirits, I'm so _stupid_!"

She stood up and began to pace as Iroh sat there, watching her. "They kissed and everything, Bolin saw! But Mako told me that it was no big deal so I listened. It-It's not like this came out of the blue, but _still_!"

"How did he tell you?"

"Tell me?" Asami smiled bitterly, the threat of tears becoming more prominent by the second. "Please. I found out when everyone went to see what all the commotion was to find them kissing with their arms around each other."

She took a deep, shaky breath. "You know that everyone cheered when they saw? Even Tenzin said it was only a matter of time. Like they'd been rooting for them all the whole time."

"Ms. Sato, I..."

"I gave up everything for them all, General, _everything_. My home, my things, my entire lifestyle... I even went against my Father. It wasn't all because of Mako, but...that was a part of it."

Asami closed her eyes to avoid seeing Iroh's face. She had dealt with pity her whole life from over her Mother's death to her supposedly sheltered existence. It was the one thing she couldn't stand being given from people.

"It's not like I ever really had a chance, anyways. Korra is strong, courageous, smart, beautiful, has a perfect body, big –well- _boobs_, and is the _Avatar_! She defeated Amon! I never even had a chance."

"She may be the Avatar, but so what? The fact that you're not even a bender yet you still manage to take down Amon's goons speaks volumes. You say she shows courage but you're the one who gave up everything to fight for a cause you believed in going so far as to fight against your own parent. That alone says something about your character.''

He took a deep breath feeling his face redden as he spewed compliments, but he couldn't stop. There was nothing Iroh hated more than to see a girl –much less one this pretty- cry, especially over some punk who had wronged her.

"It takes brains to accomplish what you did, not to mention selflessness and bravery. You say you're not her equal in looks, but you were just looking into a mirror. Korra is pretty, but...you're gorgeous. As for your-uh, breasts..." His faced flushed and he scratched the back of his neck. "They're quite nice. Not that I noticed or anything! I mean I did, but..."

Asami felt herself smile softly as the man fumbled in front of her. He was cute when he blushed.

"The point is he made a mistake. He ended things poorly and obviously didn't deserve you. Any man could see that you're special." Iroh finished in a quick breath.

The brunette looked at him for a moment before jumping forward and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Iroh."

Iroh's face flushed as he awkwardly patted her back. "You're welcome Ms. S-Asami. Would you, uh, like to finish our tea?"

Asami laughed and let go of him before sitting back on the sand. She took pride in the look of embarrassment on his face as he sat in front of her and reached for his tea cup.

"Cheers." Asami smiled, clinking their glasses together. "To hope."

"To hope." Iroh nodded, returning her smile with a timid one.

"Thank you for that, Iroh. You're...You're the only person who's talked to me about it."

Iroh's face became tinted with pride. "No problem. More tea?"

"Absolutely." Asami smiled, slipping her hand over his. Iroh's eyes widened at the gesture before he smiled.

She had a feeling they would be sharing much more than tea together in the future.

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_A/N The lovely artwork has been done by none other than Serena Kenobi, props to her:)_

_A/N For years FanFiction has been a place for fans of an array of fandoms to write about their favorite comics, movies, books, and more. It has been a save-haven for fans to gush about their beloved fandoms without feeling judged. A place for young writers to nurture their skills and evolve into future authors._

_Not anymore._

_There is a little group going around called Critics United who have been going around getting multiple stories as well as accounts deleted for anything they deem a violation of the rules. Any songfics, work that has any lemon or sexual content beyond chaste kisses, a chapter that is an author's note, any polls in fics, 'incorrect rating', even if by accident, anything that isn't a story in the strictest sense (including drabbles) is being deleted in this holocaust of fiction they're calling a cleansing of content._

_I posted a link on my profile to the petition, please sign it._

_A/N All reviews welcome _


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